quick clicks

preconception articles

preconception q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

How Old is Too Old to Give Birth?

Giving Birth Late in Life

By Elisa All

When many women her age are anticipating the birth of their first grandchild, California resident Arceli Keh, age 63, gave birth for the first time in 1997 to a daughter named Cynthia. The Associated Press reported that Keh and her husband, Isagani, a carpenter, spent at least $50,000 on in vitro fertilization treatments that eventually led to Cynthia's conception and birth. "I wasn't trying to make history," Keh told The Express, a British newspaper. "I just wanted a baby."

Married for 16 years, the Kehs – who emigrated from the Philippines – have no other children. As reported in The Express, the couple lives in Highland, Calif., 60 miles east of Los Angeles. "We are far from wealthy," Keh says. "We are working people. I only retired to have my baby."

The Kehs utilized the University of Southern California's Program for Assisted Reproduction, which allows women up to age 55 to participate. Keh hid her age until she was 13 weeks pregnant. "Our age doesn't matter," she said. "We feel young at heart and we love our child. Isn't that what counts?"

That, it seems, depends on who you ask. Cristina L.H. Traina, assistant professor of religious ethics at Northwestern University, wrote in the Chicago Tribune: "Wanting a baby is essential, but is it enough? In the field of ethics, it matters deeply why we want something. We must be sensitive to the grief that follows on the disappointment of an intense wish to conceive. Still, contemporary philosophers remind us to ask whether, when we are 'desperate' to be pregnant, we have healthy reasons."

According to the Mayo Clinic, fertility rates remain relatively stable until the early 30s, and then they decrease to very low levels by the early 40s. Peak fertility occurs between the ages of 20 to 24. In women aged 30 to 35, fertility is 15 to 20 percent less than maximum. In women aged 35 to 39, the decrease is 25 to 50 percent. In women 40 to 45, there is a 95 percent decrease in fertility.

Want to see more?

• In the Genes: Testing for Genetic Disorders
• Talk about it!
• Fertility Drugs: Are They Right for You?
• Later in Life: Pregnancy at 35 and Older